Systems design seeks to unify and coordinate all aspects of a complex communication. It strives to achieve consistent verbal and visual treatment and to reduce production time and cost. Systems design requires a careful problem-solving approach to handling complexity.

Caterpillar Inc. is a worldwide heavy-equipment and engine manufacturer. Its most visible and highly used document is the Specalog, a product-information book containing specifications, sales and marketing information, and a competitive-product reference list. A Specalog is produced for each of fifty different product types into twenty-six languages. The catalog output totals seventy million pages annually. Before Siegel & Gale took on Specalog, no formal guidelines existed, so the pages took too much time to create and were inconsistent with Caterpillar's literature strategy and corporate image.

Bringing systematic order and clarity to this mountain of information was Siegel & Gale's task. First they asked questions: What do customers and dealers need to know? What do the information producers (Caterpillar's product units) want? An analysis of existing Specalogs revealed problems with both verbal and visual language: there was no clear organization for content; language was generic; product images were taken from too great a distance; and specifications charts lacked typographic clarity. The brochures of Caterpillar's competitors were also analyzed so as not to miss opportunities to make Specalog distinctive. These activities resulted in a clear set of design goals.

A working prototype was tested with customers and dealers. Following revisions, the new design was implemented worldwide. Its significant features include an easy-to-use template system compatible with existing Macintosh computers (thus allowing for local-market customization), a thirty-percent saving in production time and cost, and increased approval by both customers and dealers. Achieving standardization while encouraging customization is a strategy in many large international organizations. Designers involved with projects like this study information design, design planning, and evaluation techniques.

Designers are problem solvers who create solutions regardless of the medium. But, designers create within the confines of reality. The challenge is to push the limits of reality to achieve the most effective solution. -Lorena